


Rubble

by autobotscoutriella



Category: Transformers: Prime
Genre: Destruction of Cybertron, Gen, Moral Dilemmas, Pre-Canon, kinda I guess?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:47:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27255922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/autobotscoutriella/pseuds/autobotscoutriella
Summary: Ratchet has concerns about a diplomatic mission in the wake of Helex's destruction.
Kudos: 8
Collections: FandomWeekly (2019-2020) Writing Challenge on Dreamwidth





	Rubble

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for [FandomWeekly](https://fandomweekly.dreamwidth.org/374140.html) prompt "Shattered".

Helex had once been one of Cybertron's most memorable cities. In a way, it still was.

Once, this stretch of road had been just one of dozens of brilliant overlapping bridges, outlined in lights with delicate twisting designs forming guard rails that were more decorative than functional. Even at night, they had been busy; each one had run at different speeds, allowing tourists to take their time exploring without jamming up the commutes of the locals who were more than used to the sights and sounds. The Helexian bridge network had been one of the Thirteen Wonders, a sight that everyone wanted to see at least once or twice in their lifetimes. Helex itself had been a city of fountains and rivers, the kind of place that seemed untouchably far beyond the political squabbles of Iacon and Nova Cronum.

Now, all that remained of the bridges was a few jagged heaps of rubble. Most of the material had been stripped away decades ago, repurposed into military hardware or makeshift shelters, and what was left had been melted into scrap. Helex itself was much the same, destroyed and abandoned. It was a terrifying microcosm for Cybertron itself.

Ratchet tried not to look at it. Knowing that it had happened was enough of a kick in the fuel tank, and every twisted bit of metal reminded him of living beings he had seen mangled in the same way. Very few of them had lived.

Glass crunched under his wheels as he followed Optimus down the road, which was almost too rough for safe driving even by wartime standards. No one had bothered to clear a path, though they would have to eventually if the Autobots intended to set up a base in this sector.

 _Why did the Neutrals choose Helex, of all places?_ The question had bothered him ever since the meeting had been arranged. When he had posed the question, Optimus had pointed out that the Neutrals might have been Helexian refugees and had just chosen a convenient location where they were familiar with the terrain. That made sense, but Ratchet suspected it was also a backhanded jab at the Autobots.

_Look what your war did to our city. You didn't save it. Why should we join you?_

Privately, Ratchet thought that that was a good question. It was certainly one that kept him up at night.

Movement in the shadows under the bridge caught his optic, and he slowed his pace, opening a secure comm line. ::We have company.::

::I see them.:: Optimus slowed to match Ratchet's pace, then transformed. ::We're close to our destination. We will walk the rest of the way.::

::What, you think they'll interpret two mechs they're expecting as a threat?:: Still, Ratchet transformed, matching Optimus stride for stride.

The closer they got to the meeting site, the harder it became to ignore the shattered city around them. Some of the heavier struts and sheet metal had been hauled away, but large sections of Helex's towers and spires lay where they had fallen, heaps of rubble that still occasionally sparkled when a ray of light caught a bit of crystal that hadn't been completely obscured by ash. Ratchet tried to keep his optics on the road, but even that was laced with crystal dust and other grim reminders of what Helex had once been. The ground was stained shades of dark gray-blue in places - a color that might have gone unnoticed by most, but one a medic could hardly fail to miss. Mechs had died here.

Mechs had died everywhere on Cybertron, he reminded himself firmly. Helex's destruction had been horrific, but Praxus had been worse, and Ratchet himself had seen hundreds - thousands - of injured mechs he couldn't save, here and elsewhere.

::Prime...:: This wasn't the right venue to raise this question, but it had been on Ratchet's mind since the day Optimus had asked him to come along. ::Are we sure this is a good idea?::

::Prowl is monitoring our signals, with instructions to move in immediately if anything changes,:: Optimus answered. ::The Neutral leader gave us no indication he meant us harm.::

::Not that.:: Ratchet watched another shadow, this one small enough to be either a minibot or very young, skitter out of sight. ::Drawing them into a war after their city was destroyed. I know we need all the help we can get, but they're a small band, and if they're Helexian refugees, they were already pulled into this war against their will.::

Optimus glanced back, blue optics unreadable. ::Would you have us abandon them to survive on their own? The Decepticons are not known for offering fair terms to Neutrals they view as a challenge.::

Optimus was right, and Ratchet didn't have a good argument for why it felt wrong. Maybe it was the juxtaposition of the horror Helex had already endured with the idea of inviting them to join the war that had caused it. ::And if they refuse? Just because they're willing to talk doesn't mean they'll want to join.::

::Then we will make it clear that they are under no obligation to join us, and will be allowed to go their own way unharmed despite the risks.:: Optimus turned and continued down the road again. ::I understand your concerns, but they will be in danger the longer they try to remain out of the war. They at least deserve to be given the option.::

Ratchet watched the shadows move in the rubble again for a moment, before silently cursing the war and picking up the pace to catch up with the Prime. ::I can only hope we won't regret whatever we do here today.::

But too many years of war had taught him that before it was all over, they probably would.


End file.
